Exemption made possible by Secretary Duffy’s Innovation Agenda and NHTSA’s expanded Automated Vehicle Exemption Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced today that the agency issued an exemption for Zoox driverless vehicles under its newly expanded Automated Vehicle Exemption Program. This is the first-ever exemption for American-built vehicles under the program.
Secretary Duffy has made safely growing America’s autonomous vehicle capabilities a key part of his Innovation Agenda. In April, NHTSA expanded its Automated Vehicle Exemption Program to include domestically produced vehicles as part of its AV Framework.
Previously only foreign AVs were eligible, disadvantaging American innovators. Thanks to the change, the expanded AVEP program is successfully promoting U.S. technology and safety through simpler, faster exemption procedures that allow companies to operate noncompliant vehicles on U.S. roads.
“This is a win-win for safety and innovation. Under the leadership of President Trump, U.S. companies like Zoox have a process to create and test their latest technologies. America – not China – can and will drive the future of self-driving cars forward,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said.
“Thanks to the expanded AVEP, transportation innovators can be confident in getting speedy review of their vehicles and, as appropriate, exemption from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards,” NHTSA Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser said. “We look forward to continuing our work to ensure these exciting technologies are tested safely on our roads.”
As a condition of the exemption, Zoox will remove or cover all statements that its purpose-built vehicles comply with applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. All of the purpose-built vehicles manufactured by Zoox and operating on public roads in the United States are now covered by this exemption. NHTSA is also concurrently closing its investigation into Zoox’s self-certification of its purpose-built AVs.
The closing resume for NHTSA’s investigation is available here.